Thirteen teens from The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea who recently returned from a weeklong pilgrimage to southeastern England came away with stronger friendships with their fellow pilgrims, spiritual growth and a joyous sense of accomplishment and tough resilience.

The group of 17, including chaperones, all carrying heavy backpacks, walked 60 miles in five days — from the little town of Otford to Canterbury — the last leg of the Pilgrims’ Way. The famous historical route runs from Winchester in Hampshire, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent. Two years ago, another group of church teens trekked 62 miles of the Way of St. James, or the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain.

The teens did nine months of preparation for the June 6-13 trip, including choosing the destination and fund-raising, said Greg Knight, organizer and director of Children and Youth Ministries.

“There is something about experiencing this at 2 or 3 mph that you feel like you’ve earned something when you get to the end of it,” Knight said. “You feel like you’ve put in the spiritual work necessary to get back whatever it is the cathedral has for you. So I am proud of them for accomplishing their goal.”

After hiking up tall hills and through tiny towns and fields with sheep to reach daily destinations, they came away learning how to better tackle challenges. “When you are walking 60 miles, your body is telling you to stop, your brain is telling you to stop, but your spirit tells you to keep going. It really helps you understand the power of the human spirit,” said hiker Hannah Harlan.

“I think my favorite part was in the times when we were all struggling to keep walking, but we would keep trying to build each other up,” said Hannah. “There were points we were singing songs together while we were walking. Once we got to the (Canterbury) cathedral, we did it. It was the final moment of triumph.”

Hannah was trekking through tiny Detling on a Saturday when she tripped, hit her head on a rock and was rushed to a medical center after waiting an hour for an ambulance to arrive. Once her forehead wound was treated, she was back on the journey.

“The last two miles were the most challenging time of the entire day,” said Whitney Young, 15. “You thought your toes would fall off and you would not make it. Your legs ached. Just pushing through that, I think, is the greatest lesson and one of my favorite times.”

Led in prayer by the Rev. James Harlan, the trekkers said prayers about every three hours and felt a connection to those back home. That’s because many congregants at Bethesda in Palm Beach carried prayer beads, saying the pilgrims’ prayers at the same time as the teens. (Prayer bead bracelets were sold to help raise money for the trip).

Jillian Gore’s favorite parts of the journey were arriving at the Rochester Cathedral on their second day, and then the Canterbury Cathedral on the last day, a building the size of five Bethesda-by-the-Seas. “When we actually got there, we were so mind-blown … It was so cool. The church was gigantic and everything was so beautiful … it felt like everything we put into each and every day was so worth it.”

When the spires of the Canterbury Cathedral came into view, the group broke into a run.

“I just wanted to walk around and look at everything,” she said, impressed with the high ceilings, the architectural details, and stained-glass windows.

A private chapel in the cathedral tower was set aside for them to have Eucharist.

Basil Burke recalled that near Donington they got temporarily separated but their backpacks had whistles on them. “The talking and laughter were really nice.”

“Anything to keep us occupied,” Jillian said.

Kaylee Dominguez recalled a man at a coffee shop who was kind, helpful, and gave them candy and hot chocolate to help them on their journey. The second day a stranger helped them to reach their lunch destination. “I had never been part of something like that,” she said.

Meredith Anderson recalled that after their first day of walking, the gratitude she felt for all that she had and what she learned working together as a group.

“We didn’t have a bed or a shower, and we had to sleep on the hard tile floor,” she said of their parish hall lodging. “You have to be grateful for what you have.”

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